Press: “Darnton Makes the Case for DPLA at Columbia Law”

“School’s Kernochan Center on April 2. Entitled Digitize, Democratize: Libraries and the Future of Books, Darnton’s case for the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) made extended analogies between the current situation and the commercial monopolies that preceded the creation of copyright in early modern France and England, as well as to Britain’s enclosure movement.

“While Darnton was careful to accord respect to the ‘legitimate interest of the book industry,’ he was not shy about criticizing what he sees as excessive commercialization. Said Darnton, ‘the cultural commons has been largely appropriated by business interests,’ and he called for finding ‘a just equilibrium.’”